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ROMAN REMAINS AT WHORLTON. 



By Rev. J. C. Fowler, b.a., f.g.s. 



It is always interesting to watch excavations, for you 

 never know what may turn up. A year or more ago, during 

 draining operations in the piece of land added to the old 

 Churchyard, the workmen came upon some broken pottery 

 which I recognised as Roman. On taking the fragments 

 up to the British Museum, the Professor of the British 

 Roman Department at once pronounced each and every 

 fragment to be Roman, very coarse and of local make — 

 there was no Samian ware. 



This find proves occupation, so I have now the satis- 

 faction of having proved Whorlton (whatever Roman name 

 it had) to have been a Roman Settlement. In connection 

 with this discovery, it is interesting to note that one of the 

 Earthworks across the road, N.W. of the Old Church, has 

 a decided Roman look, and appears to have been a four- 

 square Roman Station, and it is worth mentioning that a 

 Roman Road extended from Thornton-le-Street through 

 Bullamoor and Deighton straight to the Tees, and therefore 

 only some five or six miles from this supposed camp — 

 merely an outpost, of course — and yet one of considerable 

 military importance. A large number of Roman Coins 

 were found at Whorl Hill, near the Church, a century ago, 

 but they did not prove settlement, as coins may be found 

 anywhere. 



Dr. Atkinson discovered a Roman Road in the Parish of 

 Danby, but we cannot, so far, link it up with Whorlton. 

 The fragments of pottery are in the Museum at Middles- 

 brough, and may be seen there. 



